Microsoft Project Online vs. the New Microsoft Planner: What's Different?
Microsoft is replacing Project Online with the new unified Planner. Here's an honest comparison of what you gain, what you lose, and whether Planner is enough for your team.
Microsoft Project Online vs. the New Microsoft Planner: What's Different?
When Microsoft announced Project Online's retirement, they pointed customers toward "the new Microsoft Planner" — a unified tool that merged the old Microsoft Planner, Project for the Web, and To Do into a single experience within Microsoft 365.
For many teams, the natural question is: can we just switch to the new Planner?
The answer depends entirely on how you used Project Online. This article gives you an honest, feature-by-feature comparison so you can decide whether Planner is sufficient or whether you need a third-party alternative.
A Brief History
Understanding the lineage helps explain the gaps:
- Microsoft Project (Desktop) — The original, dating back to 1984. Full-featured desktop scheduling tool. Still available as Project Plan 3 and Plan 5.
- Microsoft Project Server — On-premises server for enterprise project management. Deprecated in favor of Project Online.
- Microsoft Project Online — Cloud-hosted version of Project Server, running on SharePoint Online. The enterprise PM solution for Microsoft 365. Retiring September 30, 2026.
- Microsoft Planner (Original) — Lightweight Kanban-style task boards for Microsoft 365 groups. Think Trello inside Teams.
- Project for the Web — Microsoft's attempt at a modern, cloud-native PM tool using Dataverse. Simpler than Project Online.
- The New Microsoft Planner (2024) — The unified product that combines Planner boards, Project for the Web schedules, and To Do tasks into one experience. This is what Microsoft positions as the successor.
The key insight: the new Planner inherits Project for the Web's architecture, not Project Online's. That distinction matters enormously.
Feature Comparison
Project Scheduling
| Capability | Project Online | New Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Gantt chart | Yes (full-featured) | Yes (basic) |
| Task dependencies | FS, SS, FF, SF with lag | FS only, no lag |
| Critical path | Yes | No |
| Auto-scheduling | Yes (resource-aware) | Basic date shifting |
| Manual scheduling mode | Yes | No |
| Task calendars | Yes | No |
| Recurring tasks | Yes | No |
| Summary tasks / WBS | Yes (unlimited depth) | Yes (limited) |
| Baselines | Yes (11 baselines) | No |
| Earned Value Analysis | Yes | No |
| What-if scenarios | Yes (via Save As) | No |
Verdict: If you use Project Online for complex scheduling with multiple dependency types, critical path analysis, or baselines, the new Planner is a significant downgrade.
Resource Management
| Capability | Project Online | New Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise resource pool | Yes | No |
| Resource assignments | Yes (effort-driven) | Yes (simple) |
| Resource leveling | Yes (automatic) | No |
| Capacity planning | Yes | No |
| Timesheets | Yes | No |
| Cost rates / rate tables | Yes | No |
| Resource utilization reports | Yes | No |
Verdict: The new Planner has no resource management capabilities beyond basic task assignment. If your PMO relies on resource pools, capacity planning, or timesheets, Planner cannot replace Project Online.
Portfolio & Governance
| Capability | Project Online | New Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio views | Yes | No |
| Demand management | Yes | No |
| Project proposals / intake | Yes | No |
| Gate reviews / stage gates | Yes | No |
| Cross-project reporting | Yes (OData + Power BI) | Limited |
| Business drivers / prioritization | Yes | No |
| Change control | Yes (via workflows) | No |
Verdict: Portfolio and governance capabilities don't exist in the new Planner. Enterprise PMOs will need either a third-party tool or custom Power Platform solutions.
Collaboration & Integration
| Capability | Project Online | New Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams integration | Yes | Yes (native) |
| SharePoint integration | Yes (deep) | Limited |
| Power BI integration | Yes (OData feeds) | Yes (Dataverse) |
| Power Automate / workflows | Yes | Yes |
| Email notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Co-authoring | No (check-out model) | Yes (real-time) |
| Mobile apps | Limited | Yes (good) |
| Copilot AI | No | Yes |
Verdict: This is where the new Planner genuinely wins. Real-time collaboration, native Teams integration, Copilot AI, and modern mobile apps are all superior to Project Online's aging web experience.
Administration & Compliance
| Capability | Project Online | New Planner |
|---|---|---|
| SSO / Conditional Access | Yes (Azure AD) | Yes (Entra ID) |
| Data residency | Yes | Yes (Dataverse) |
| Audit logs | Yes | Yes (via Purview) |
| Custom permissions | Yes (SharePoint-based) | Limited |
| Backup / restore | SharePoint backup | Dataverse backup |
| API access | OData + CSOM | Graph API + Dataverse |
Verdict: Both products leverage Microsoft 365's security and compliance infrastructure. The new Planner's API story is more modern (Graph API vs. legacy CSOM/OData).
Who Can Stay with Planner?
The new Planner works well if your team:
- Uses Project Online as a task tracker — If you primarily create task lists, assign people, and track completion without complex scheduling, Planner handles this.
- Doesn't rely on dependencies beyond FS — If your projects are mostly sequential with simple finish-to-start relationships, Planner's basic dependencies suffice.
- Doesn't need resource management — If resource planning happens outside the PM tool (in spreadsheets or a separate system), losing the resource pool isn't a blocker.
- Values Teams integration — If your team lives in Microsoft Teams, Planner's native integration is genuinely excellent.
- Has simple reporting needs — If your stakeholders need basic project status, not portfolio-level analytics.
Who Needs Something Else?
You should evaluate third-party alternatives if:
- You use multiple dependency types — SS, FF, and SF dependencies are essential for complex schedules. Planner only supports FS.
- Critical path matters — If you need to identify and manage the critical path, Planner can't do it.
- You rely on baselines — Tracking planned vs. actual schedule and cost requires baseline capabilities that Planner lacks.
- Resource management is core — Enterprise resource pools, capacity planning, utilization tracking, and timesheets aren't available.
- You have governance requirements — Proposal pipelines, gate reviews, change control boards, and portfolio oversight need dedicated functionality.
- You manage 20+ projects — Portfolio-level views, cross-project reporting, and resource optimization across projects require enterprise PM capabilities.
The Third Option: Desktop Client + Something Else
Some organizations are considering keeping the Microsoft Project Desktop Client (Plan 3 or Plan 5) for complex scheduling while using the new Planner or another tool for collaboration and tracking.
This can work, but has limitations:
- .mpp files aren't collaborative — One person edits at a time, others get a read-only copy
- No real-time status — The desktop client doesn't show live task updates from team members
- Sync is manual — Publishing to a server-based system was Project Online's job; without it, you're emailing .mpp files
- Cost — Project Plan 3 ($30/user/month) or Plan 5 ($55/user/month) is expensive for a disconnected desktop tool
Migration Considerations
Moving to Planner
If the new Planner fits your needs, Microsoft provides migration tools:
- Automatic migration — Microsoft has committed to migrating Project for the Web data automatically. Project Online data requires manual action.
- .mpp import — Limited. The new Planner can import basic task lists but loses advanced scheduling data.
- OData data — Export via OData feeds before retirement and recreate in Planner manually.
Moving to a Third-Party Tool
If you need enterprise PM capabilities, evaluate tools that support:
- .mpp file import — Preserves your existing project structure and schedules
- OData migration — Bulk import from Project Online's data feeds
- Familiar concepts — Gantt charts, dependencies, baselines, resource management
Onplana, for example, was built specifically for this migration path. It supports all four dependency types, baselines, resource management, and governance workflows — the features that Planner doesn't offer — while adding AI capabilities that neither Project Online nor Planner provide.
Making Your Decision
Here's a simple decision framework:
Choose the new Microsoft Planner if:
- Your projects are simple (< 50 tasks, mostly sequential)
- You don't use critical path, baselines, or resource management
- Teams integration is your top priority
- You want to stay 100% within the Microsoft ecosystem
- Cost is a concern (Planner is included in M365)
Choose a third-party PM platform if:
- You manage complex schedules with multiple dependency types
- Resource management and capacity planning are essential
- You need portfolio-level views and governance
- Baseline tracking and earned value analysis matter
- You want AI-powered risk detection and planning
Consider a hybrid approach if:
- You want Microsoft desktop client for complex scheduling
- Plus a modern platform for collaboration, tracking, and reporting
- And you're willing to manage the sync between them
Whatever you choose, start evaluating now. September 2026 will arrive faster than you think, and a rushed migration is a risky migration.
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For more on the retirement timeline, read Microsoft Project Online Is Retiring — What You Need to Know. Ready to migrate? See our step-by-step migration guide.
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